The mermaid and I were hiking the NUMA Ridge Lookout trail above Bowman Lake in Glacier National Park. 6 miles of very steep hiking. We took our time, eating huckleberries and enjoying the views, when we encountered a bear.

The Mermaid. Swimming in Bowman Lake in September.Huckle-bear. Here he was eating the huckleberries along the trail.An incredibly yummy huckleberry. I can verify that statement because I ate it, just after capturing this photo.“Bear. Mom, bear.” That’s what the mermaid said to me. I thought she was joking, she was so calm. He was about 20 yards away from her on the path we were headed up.Bowman Lake. Just after our encounter with the bear, we came across this stunning view of Bowman Lake and Glacier Park. If you look closely you can see our tent in the campground at the end of the lake. Just kidding, you can’t see it, but it was there.